The City of Lost Children (1995)

Awards: Won Cesar award for Best Production Design and nominated for Best Cinemtography, Costume Design, and Music.

Like a dark Terry Gilliam fantasy, The City of Lost Children is a feast for the senses. Written and directed by the team of Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, The City of Lost Children tells the story of One, a former whale hunter who is now a sideshow strong man, and an orphan girl/thief who he befriends named Miette. Together they look for One’s stolen friend Denree who he affectionately calls little brother. Upon their search they cross paths with all kinds of characters including a man who can not dream, a religious cult who kidnaps children, and even mind-controlling fleas.

The City of Lost Children is a fun, quirky, and beautifully shot French film created by the same director that would later go on to direct Amelie. This movie is filled with imagery that would appear to influence later works such as the film Dark City and even the Borg of Star Trek, although this is pure speculation. As further evidence of this film’s creativity, the actors were made up in white face and color corrected until flesh-toned in order to achieve a slightly skewed color scheme (source: IMDB).

Other Notable Films by this Director (Jean-Pierre Jeunet): Delicatessen (1991), Alien: Resurrection (1997), Amelie (2001), A Very Long Engagement (2004)